Movie Review: 'Final Destination 5'

Movie Review: 'Final Destination 5'

Summary: You know the story: Another band of model-type young people are being stalked by death after surviving a freak accident—this time it's a bridge collapse.

Published August 12, 2011

Summary
: You know the story: Another band of model-type young people are being stalked by death after surviving a freak accident—this time it's a bridge collapse. One by one they are offed in the most foolish, campy and unrealistic scenarios. But this is Final Destination
; it's critic-proof, so enjoy the ride.

Review
: You can't cheat death and you can't escape this barrage of endless sequels. The supernatural gore-fest is beyond formulaic—it's nearly plagiarism. Characters and dialogue are identical to previous versions, and the only new pieces are how people randomly die. What are these brainstorming sessions like for the screenwriters? "Hey! How about death by acupuncture? Death by LASIK eye surgery? Death by gymnastics! Yeah, let's throw it all in there and the people will love it!"

That said, the 3-D sequel is the best incarnation since the original. Let me be clear, this is no great horror film; it's simply better than versions two, three and four, which isn't saying much. Still, it’s a fun ride with whacky mishaps that are less scary and more comical, especially in 3-D—eyeballs, intestines and various sharp objects are all flying toward you. After a quick scream, you'll let out a loud laugh.

Of course the best part of Final Destination
is the opening premonition death scene, and this one does not disappoint. Director Steven Quale
must’ve put the majority of the budget in this epic bridge collapse, because no other scene, with the exception of the ending, comes close to those five minutes.

The constant screaming and wide-eyed terror is brought to you from a flock of up-and-coming talent, including Belizean actor Arlen Escarpeta
, who was hacked away in the atrociousFriday the 13th
remake. There are small roles from Angela Bassett
's husband, Courtney B. Vance
, and horror movie icon, Tony Todd
, whom we all know and love for starring in 1992's Candyman
.

What ultimately saves Final Destination 5
from the ho-hum of the other sequels is an unexpected twist ending. Yes, we’ve seen every twist in horror films, but this one hits the thriller bull’s-eye. It's an excellent close to a forgettable franchise that started strong and quickly fizzled. Horror movie fans will be satisfied, and the viewers who were dragged to the movie theater by an annoying friend or a significant other might let out a few screams.